(1) Field of the Invention
This application is directed to a rotational combustion turbine or engine, with a stationary casing and a rotating part, in which the thermodynamic expansion power released during the burning of an oxygen/combustible mixture of fuel within defined chambers, works directly against a rotor, and is directly transformed into mechanical power.
(2) Description of Related Art
The classical Otto, Diesel, and Wankel engines, with the first two having a development history of more than 100 years, have meanwhile reached very high performances, but are still less than ideal regarding the modern requirements for more economic, environmental friendlier as well as for higher performance engines. Some of the main disadvantages of these engines are the occurring of the ignition only after two or four revolutions, high vibrations, two dead rotation points in the power transmission from piston to the crank shaft, many heavy oscillating and rotating parts to be balanced etc. The vibrations and sealing problems of the Wankel engine have not been solved yet.
Most of the rotational engines are based on the Wankel design, or have pulsating piston systems within circular trajectories and need complicated gears for the conversion of the chemical energy into mechanical power, and thus deliver low efficiency. Some of these engines with more tangential action of the ignition do have large pendulant components and shapes that are difficult to seal. These engines provide a reduced number of ignitions per rotation and have relatively low compression rates, what makes them economically obsolete. The well known Gas Turbines are ideal for the airplane industry, especially for high speed and high performances, but are not economical for slower and smaller means of transportation.
Others have worked on rotary engines. A common design is the rotary vane type, of which, U.S. Pat. No. 2,468,451 is an example. There are always reliability issues with the rotary vanes in a rotating engine. The structure to house the vanes and allow them to move becomes complicated and requires a robust setup to allow reliable, consistent operation. The vanes must be designed with the exhaust and intake systems in mind to ensure the seals are not affected by any valves or chamber openings. The reliability of the gas sealing and the movement of the vanes is always questionable. In a rotating engine it is much more desirable to have a sealing system that follows a smooth surface to ensure reliable operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,988,008 describes the Wankel rotary type of rotary engine which is known in the art. Fundamentally, it is a four stroke cycle is carried out in three or four working chambers. The seal between the inner rotor and outer rotor is always a complicated matter due to the geometry match of the rotating member to the stationary casing. This type of engine has not been widely implemented due to problems of sealing within combustion chamber, poor durability, low fuel efficiency at low loads, and undesirable emissions.